University of Missouri
Missouri's flagship AAU university, home of the Missouri School of Journalism and one of the oldest homecomings in the US.
- Acceptance rate
- 77%
- First-year students entering fall 2023 (Common Data Set 2023-24, the latest Mizzou has published)
- Students
- 32,105
- 23,929 undergraduates
- Student–faculty
- 17:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $39,688
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1839
About Mizzou
The University of Missouri, known as Mizzou, was established in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River. It is Missouri's flagship and land-grant university, a member of the Association of American Universities and one of six US public universities that offer engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine, law and agriculture on one campus. About 32,000 students study on a 1,252-acre campus in Columbia that is also an official botanic garden, centred on the Francis Quadrangle and the landmark columns in front of Jesse Hall.
Mizzou's 13 schools and colleges include the Missouri School of Journalism, founded in 1908 and among the first journalism schools anywhere, where students report for the Columbia Missourian, KOMU-TV and KBIA radio. Other strengths include the Trulaske College of Business, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and the MU Research Reactor, which Mizzou describes as the most powerful university research reactor in the US. Research spending reached $553 million in 2025.
Admission is transparent: students who complete 17 core high school courses and meet published test-score and class-rank or GPA minimums are admitted, while test-optional applicants get a holistic review. Mizzou suits students who want a big SEC school with a strong sense of tradition, especially future journalists, business students, engineers and pre-health students.
Salus populi suprema lex esto
“Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law” — university motto
Why students choose Mizzou
The Missouri School of Journalism and its 'Missouri Method', with students working in real newsrooms such as the Columbia Missourian and NBC affiliate KOMU-TV.
Clear admission rules: meet the 17-course core and the published ACT/SAT and class-rank or core-GPA chart and you know you are admissible.
Engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine, law and agriculture all on one campus, which opens unusual combinations for pre-professional students.
SEC athletics, the Homecoming tradition Mizzou calls the nation's first, and Columbia, which Mizzou's facts page notes was ranked No. 3 among the best US cities for new college graduates (Checkr).
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2023 (Common Data Set 2023-24, the latest Mizzou has published)
16,690 admitted from 21,669 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
5,139 first-years enrolled in fall 2023. Missouri residents made up 9,458 applicants and 7,671 admits; 1,274 international students applied and 480 were admitted. Applicants who meet the published course and test-score or class-rank/GPA minimums are admissible; those who do not receive a comprehensive review. The fall 2026 class included 6,078 first-time students, nearly 4,000 of all new students having GPAs of 3.5 or higher.
Typical entry requirements
| US high school core (17 units) | English 4, math 4 (Algebra I or higher), science 3 (one lab), social studies 3, fine arts 1, same foreign language 2 |
|---|---|
| With test scores | ACT 24+ or SAT 1160+ with a core GPA of 2.0+; lower scores require higher class rank or core GPA per Mizzou's chart |
| Test-optional review | 17-unit core plus a short essay and resume or activities list, reviewed holistically by committee |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 IELTS Academic 6.5 (no band below 6.0); TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new 1-6 scale (no section below 4.0); Duolingo 110 (sections 100+); PTE 59; Cambridge C1/C2 also accepted. Journalism and Education require higher scores (e.g. TOEFL 5.0, Duolingo 130). IGCSE First Language English B or IB English A 5 also qualify. All admitted non-native speakers take an English placement exam. |
Deadlines
- Priority scholarship deadline Non-binding Next deadline · In 55 daysDecember 1, 2026
Apply for admission and submit the Mizzou Scholarship Application by this date for priority merit and competitive scholarship consideration. Decisions are released on a rolling basis from October 1.
- Honors College application deadline Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
Honors application opens September 15; Honors scholarship deadline is December 1. FAFSA priority deadline is also February 1.
- Final application deadline Non-binding In ~9 monthsJuly 1, 2027
Rolling admission; National Decision Day is May 1.
Mizzou's freshman dates page lists recurring dates (application opens August 1, scholarship deadline December 1, final deadline July 1) without a year; years shown here assume the fall 2027 cycle, consistent with the page's Fall 2027 transfer dates. There is no Early Decision or Early Action.
How to apply
Mizzou application or Common App (opens August 1); application fee (fee waivers available); official high school transcript; ACT/SAT scores or a test-optional review with a short essay and resume/activities list; separate Mizzou Scholarship Application; separate Honors College application.
What admissions looks for
- Completion of the 17 required core high school units with satisfactory grades.
- For applicants with scores, an ACT or SAT result that meets the published minimum for their class rank or core GPA.
- For test-optional applicants, a holistic committee review of the transcript, essay and activities.
- Rigor of the high school curriculum and any extenuating circumstances, for applicants below the published minimums.
Tips for applying to Mizzou
- 1 Check Mizzou's class-rank and core-GPA chart: if your scores meet it, applying with tests gives the fastest, most predictable decision.
- 2 Apply and complete the Mizzou Scholarship Application by December 1; merit scholarships favour early applicants and test scores can still be added through July.
- 3 Honors College is a separate application with its own deadlines, and your transcript and scores must already be on file with Admissions.
- 4 Journalism and Education applicants from abroad need higher English scores than the university minimum.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for University of Missouri
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Applicants who apply by December 1 are automatically considered for most merit-based freshman scholarships, and the Mizzou Scholarship Application unlocks hundreds more; file the FAFSA by February 1. International freshmen are automatically considered for merit-based international scholarships. Many out-of-state US students establish Missouri residency after their first year to pay in-state tuition.
- $31,942-$36,070
- 2026-27 estimated billed costs, Missouri resident
- $55,104-$59,232
- 2026-27 estimated billed costs, non-resident
- $62,124-$66,252
- 2026-27 estimated 12-month cost, international student
- 53%
- Mizzou students who graduate without debt
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Journalism
Founded in 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism trains students in working newsrooms including the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine, KOMU-TV and KBIA radio.
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Mizzou is Missouri's land-grant flagship, with MU Extension active across the state.
Veterinary Medicine
One of the few US public campuses combining vet med with medicine, engineering, law and agriculture.
Nuclear science and radiopharmaceuticals
The MU Research Reactor produces lutetium-177, used in targeted cancer therapies.
Business (Trulaske College)
Housed in Cornell Hall on the Carnahan Quadrangle, completed in 2002 as part of Mizzou's newer southern campus core.
Research
- $553 million in research expenditures in 2025 and membership of the Association of American Universities.
- The MU Research Reactor (MURR), which Mizzou calls the nation's most powerful university research reactor, supplies lutetium-177 for precision cancer therapies.
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 awarded to faculty member George P. Smith.
- 10 faculty members in the National Academy of Sciences.
Schools & faculties
- College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
- College of Arts and Science
- Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Engineering
- College of Health Sciences
- College of Human Environmental Sciences
- Missouri School of Journalism
- School of Law
- School of Medicine
- Sinclair School of Nursing
- College of Veterinary Medicine
Mizzou reports more than 95% of graduates are employed or continuing their education within six months. College Scorecard: median earnings of $63,403 ten years after entry (and $52,756 six years after entry) for federally aided students.
Student life
Mizzou is a classic big-state-school experience. About 7,500 students belong to fraternities and sororities, and Homecoming, which Mizzou calls the nation's first, draws huge crowds every autumn. The Student Recreation Center, built around historic Rothwell Gymnasium and Brewer Fieldhouse, was once ranked the best in the country by Sports Illustrated. Football at Faurot Field, with its 90-foot-wide rock M behind the north end zone, and SEC basketball at Mizzou Arena anchor weekends, while downtown Columbia sits right next to campus.
- Missouri Tigers in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), with 18 NCAA Division I teams.
- Homecoming, which began in 1911 when alumni were invited to 'come home' for the Kansas game, and which Mizzou calls the nation's first.
- Truman the Tiger, the mascot named after President Harry S. Truman.
- Marching Mizzou and a 1,252-acre botanic-garden campus with more than 5,600 trees.
Housing. Mizzou runs on-campus residence halls; the 2026-27 housing and dining estimate (weighted average of double rooms and meal plans) is $15,780 a year.
Location
Columbia is a city of about 126,000 people in central Missouri, and the campus sits just south of downtown. Mizzou describes it as a mix of small-town friendliness and big-city excitement, consistently ranked among the best college towns in the country, and nicknames it College Town, USA. Stephens College is also in town, and the campus is a short walk from downtown.
Nearest airport: Columbia Regional Airport (COU); St. Louis Lambert International (STL)
Notable alumni
- SW Sam WaltonFounder of Walmart (BA economics 1940)
- SC Sheryl CrowSinger-songwriter (BS Ed music education 1984)
- JH Jon HammActor, Don Draper in Mad Men
- BP Brad PittActor and producer (studied journalism, left before graduating)
- JL Jim LehrerPBS NewsHour anchor (journalism degree 1956)
- MW Mort WalkerCartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey (graduated 1948)
- FC Frederick Chapman RobbinsNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1954 for growing poliovirus in tissue culture
- LG Linda GodwinNASA astronaut (MS 1976, PhD physics 1980)
Frequently asked questions
What is Mizzou's acceptance rate?
In its latest Common Data Set, Mizzou admitted 16,690 of 21,669 first-year applicants for fall 2023, about 77%.
Is Mizzou test-optional for fall 2027?
Yes. You can apply with ACT or SAT scores, which Mizzou superscores and checks against published minimums, or choose a test-optional holistic review with an essay and activities list. Homeschooled students must submit scores.
What ACT score do you need for Mizzou?
An ACT of 24 or SAT of 1160 with a 2.0+ core GPA meets the requirement; lower scores need a higher class rank or core GPA. Enrolled students who submitted the ACT in fall 2023 scored 23-29 (middle 50%).
When is the Mizzou application deadline?
Mizzou uses rolling admission with a final deadline of July 1, but apply by December 1 for priority scholarship consideration. The Honors College deadline is February 1.
How much does Mizzou cost for out-of-state students?
For 2026-27, non-resident tuition and fees are $39,324-$43,452 depending on major, and estimated billed costs including housing and dining are $55,104-$59,232.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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